About the PTCB Test

Requirements

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board offers the PTCB exam. To be eligible to take the exam, an individual must have a high school diploma or its equivalent, have no felony conviction, have no drug or pharmacy related convictions, and have no denial, suspension, revocation, or restriction of registration by any State Board of Pharmacy. The difficulty of the PTCB test will not vary between test dates or locations.

PTCB Exam Format

The exam consists of 90 multiple-choice questions. Ten of the 90 questions will not count toward the final score, they are practice questions that might be included in future exams. Questions from the three functional areas will be randomly distributed throughout the exam. Each question provides four answer choices, where only one is correct. Passing is determined by the number of questions that are answered correctly, thus it benefits the test taker to answer every question. Candidates are given 2 hours to complete the exam.

Topics Covered

The PTCB consists of three function areas:

I. Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients (66% of questions)

II. Maintaining Medication and Inventory Control Systems (22% of questions)

III. Participating in the Administration and Management of Pharmacy Practice (12% of questions)

Why take the PTCB exam?

The PTCB test is a national certification that caters to pharmacy technicians who would like to increase the quality of patient care, and be recognized for their acquired skills nationally. Often passing the PTCB exam results in job opportunities with more responsibility and greater pay.

Getting Your Results

A candidate will find out if they have passed the PTCB test immediately after completion at the test site. Candidates will receive a printout with the results, and a copy of the results will be mailed to the candidate a few weeks following the test.

Passing Statistics

Only 70% of test takers pass the PTCB test. Candidates who fail the PTCB test can retake the exam three times. After three retakes, the candidate will need to appeal to the PTCB.

PTCB test fees and scheduling

The fee to apply and take the PTCB test is $129. Appointments can be made online at the Pearson VUE website or by calling 866-902-0593.